[Ha Noi, 23 July 2021] To mark the First World Drowning Prevention Day, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the World Health Organization, and Global Health Advocacy Incubator highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities and calls for urgent, coordinated and multi-sectoral action on life-saving solutions.
Declared through a historic United Nations General Assembly Resolution in April 2021, the World Drowning Prevention Day, is held annually on 25 July. This year’s theme is anyone can drown, no one should.
Drowning has been the cause of over 2.5 million deaths globally in the last decade. An estimated 235,600 people drown every year, and drowning is among the ten leading causes of death for children aged 5-14 years. More than 90% of drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. These serious figures exclude drownings attributable to flood-related disasters and water transport incidents.
In Viet Nam although initial results are encouraging with an average reduction of 100 child drowning cases per year, drowning remains one of the leading causes of death among children. According to an estimate in 2020, more than 2,000 children aged under 16 years have lost their lives every year due to drowning.
“Child drowning prevention is one of the key priorities of the National Action Plan of Child Injury Prevention and Control”, says Madam Nguyen Thi Ha, Vice Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs. “We have been coordinating closely with ministries/agencies and local authorities to put in place measures for safe living environment and prevent child injuries and child drowning.”
The Government of Viet Nam continues to improve the legal and regulatory framework related to child drowning prevention. On 19th July 2021, the Prime Minister issued Decision No 1248/QD-Ttg approving the National Program on Child Injury Prevention and Control period 2021-2030 with a target to reduce the number of child drowning deaths by 20%. The evidence-based interventions such as the standardized training on safe swimming skills and water safety skills will be deployed to the whole country.
The UN General Assembly resolution on drowning prevention not only highlights the impact of drowning on safety and lives, but also draws clear connections between drowning and its negative impacts on Member States’ sustainable development.
“Losing a child to drowning is a devastating family tragedy, and no parent should go through that pain, no one should”, says Dr Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Viet Nam. “There are solutions from the Government and partners to reduce drowning deaths, but we also need to increase awareness of every family to protect their children from drowning at the community level”.
To intensify programs on drowning prevention, evidence-based interventions have been deployed in accordance with Vietnamese context. With financial support from the Bloomberg Philanthropy and technical support from WHO and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, the program has provided swimming lessons for approximately 14,000 children aged 6 to 15 years and water safety lessons for more than 30,200 children in selected eight provinces, which have the highest rates of children drowning in the country. The guidelines of safe swimming and water safety skills for children are developed and will be deployed nationwide.
Ms. Doan Thu Huyen, Country Director of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, USA, said: “We are proud to be part of this program that saves children’s lives from drowning. We hope that the successful lessons of this program will be expanded nationwide. It requires the investment of the local authorities and the participation of each family and community.”
Vietnamese families can do their part in preventing drowning: supervise their children’s safety, teach children swimming and water safety skills, provide safe places away from water and install barriers controlling access to water.
Anyone can drown, no one should, and everyone has a role to play in drowning prevention.
About the Organizations Advocating for Drowning Prevention
Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs
The Government assigned the Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs as a focal point to take leadership and coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies in terms of child injury prevention and child drowning prevention. The priorities of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs focus on policy formulation, taking leadership on community-based interventions, communication campaigns, and multi-sectoral collaboration.
World Health Organization in Viet Nam
As the leading and coordinating agency for global public health within the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been working with the governments of 194 Member States to carry out its mission to achieve the highest possible level of health and well-being for all. WHO’s country office in Viet Nam was established in 1977 and since then, has played a central role in supporting the people and the Government of Viet Nam to improve health. The mission of WHO in Viet Nam is to support the Government to achieve universal health coverage with all people having access to high-quality health services, building sustainable national capacities and partnerships to ensure public health security and safety, managing effectively communicable and non-communicable diseases of public health importance.
Global Health Policy Advocacy Incubator
The Global Health Advocacy Incubator belongs to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Children, is an American NGO established in 1997. Its mission is to help build healthier lives for everyone through evidence-based policy development and advocacy, supporting community-based interventions, and conducting research and effective communication campaigns. In Vietnam, we coordinate with relevant ministries, sectors, and localities, academic institutions, and many civil society organizations to implement programs on tobacco prevention, child drowning prevention, road safety, and healthy nutrition.